Apparatus for forming fence pickets



Feb. 15, 1966 B. w. ARMITAGE ETAL 3,234,979

APPARATUS FOR FORMING FENCE PICKETS Filed June 21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 2 4

INVENTORS BLAIR W. ARMITAGE ALONZO B. MORTENSEN WILLIAM C.THOMASON FIG. 1 BY BUCKHORN, BLORE, KLARQUIST 8 SPARKMAN ATTORNEYS 15, 1966 B. w. ARMITAGE- arm. 3,

APPARATUS FOR FORMING FEliCE PICKETS Filed June 21, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS BLAIR. W. ARMITAGE ALONZO B. MORTENSEN WILLIAM C.THOMASON BUCKHORN, BLORE, KLARQULST 8x SPARKMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent APPARATUS FGR FQRMING FENCE PICKETS Blair W. Armitage, Alonzo B. Mortensen, and William C.

Thomason, Eugene, 0reg., assignors to Robert G. Harrison, doing business as The Willamette Valley Manufacturing Qompany, Eugene, Greg.

Filed dune 21, 1963, Ser. No. 289,520 4 Claims. (Cl. 144-162) The present invention relates to a splitting or slicing mechanism and more particularly to apparatus for slicing fencepickets from billets of wood.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for slicing or splitting stakes or like thin pieces from the edge of a billet of wood.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a stake splitting or slicing machine capable of effecting splitting or slicing of stakes from a billet with a minimum of damage thereto.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stake slicing machine capable of operating rapidly and efficiently.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a stake slicing machine of simple construction and providing a minimum of operational problems.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent hereinafter.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the present invention comprises a conveyor mechanism upon which billets of wood cut to predetermined lengths are advanced edgewise in stepwise fashion. Mounted over the conveyor is a knife so mounted that it may be advanced downwardly toward the table and at the same time moved horizontally so as to effect a silicing action upon its penetration into the billet, such action effecting splitting of a picket from the billet with a minimum of damage to the billet or the picket formed.

For a more detailed description of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a billet and the manner in which a stake is sliced therefrom by the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation partly in section of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view looking in the direction of arrows 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of an end portion of the knife showing certain details thereof; and

P16. 8 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the knife.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the apparatus of the invention is adapted to sever, by slicing action, pickets 16 from the longitudinal edge of a wood flitch or billet 11. In accordance with the invention, the billet 11 is struck a blow on the flat surface thereof by a knife 12 having components of movement both normal and parallel to the fiat surface of the billet whereby the knife penetrates the billet with a slicing action. The billets 11 preferably are rectangular, sawed blanks in which the grain runs longitudinally. One end of the billets may be formed as shown so that the severed pickets will have a pointed end.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the knife 12 is mounted upon a head 16 the opposite ends of which are supported in frames 18 by circular cam-s 20. As best shown in FIG. 6, each end of the heal 16 is provided with a semicircular bearing 22 to receive the corresponding cam 20, the head being secured to the cams by semicircular bearing caps 24. The cams 20 are keyed to shafts 26 suitably journaled in the frames 18. Means are provided to drive the shafts 26 to effect rotation of the cams in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6. Suitably journaled in the frames 13 is a drive shaft 32 connected to a suitable motor (not shown) so as to be driven at a uniform speed in the direction indicated in FIG. 5. A pair of bevel gears 34 is fixed to the shaft 32, one adjacent each end thereof, and which engage bevel gears 36 fixed to stub shafts 38 mounted one in each frame 18. The shafts 38 each carries a sprocket it) driving a chain 42 trained over a sprocket 44 h red to the corresponding shaft 2 6. As will be apparent the knife 12 will be driven in a circular path by rotation of the cams 29 so that the lower edge thereof will have motion including both horizontal and vertical components.

Means are provided for feeding the billets or planks 11 beneath the knife 12 in timed relation to the reciprocation of the knife. Such means comprises a feed conveyor 50 including a table 52 upon which the billets may slide edgewise with an end thereof abutting a guide 54, as shown in FIG. 2. Stepwise movement of the billets toward the knife 12 is effected by means of a pair of chains 56 mounted one adjacent each edge of the tables 52 and carrying spaced dogs 58. As shown in FIG. 4, the chains 56 are trained over sprockets 6t) fixed to a feed shaft 62 which is rotated stepwise from the main shaft 32 by a drive connection including an overriding clutch 64. A clutch arm 66 is secured to one end of a push rod 68 the opposite end of which is engaged :by a rocker arm 70 which bears against a cam 72 fixed to the main shaft 32. The drive arrangement is such that the dogs .are advanced along the table 52 a distance equal to the thickness of the pickets 10 to be sliced from the billets 1-1 at each stepping movement of the dogs. The cam '72 is so positioned upon the shaft 32 that the advancing movement of the billets occurs during the period the lower edge of the knife 12 is above the elevation of the top surface of the billets. The dogs 58 preferably are positioned upon the chains 56 so that a plurality of billets is advanced by each pair of dogs.

A pair of cantilevered springs 89 is preferably provided to engage the billets and press them securely against the table 52 as the billets are advanced beneath the knife 12. The springs are fixed to brackets 82 mounted on a cross rod 84 extending between the frames 18, adjustment screws 86 being threaded through the brackets so that the pressure of the springs on the billets may be adjusted.

Preferably the table 52 is provided with a rubber anvil insert 90 beneath the position of the knife 12. The anvil 90 will transmit less vibration and shock to the remainder of the apparatus and will also minimize damage to the edge of the knife 12 as it penetrates through the blank.

Preferably the knife 12 is provided with a depending splitter element M- provided with an inclined edge 96 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) for engaging and penetrating one end of the billet slightly in advance of any cont-act of the horizontal edge of the knife with the top surface of the billet. Looking at the apparatus as it is shown in FIG. 2, and considering the positions of the blade in its circular stroke as one would the hour positions on a clock face, the blade is so arranged with respect to the position of the billet 11 that penetration of the billet by the splitter 94 begins in about the ten oclock position of the blade. The splitter is then driven diagonally downwardly into the end of the billet to start a longitudinal split which is entered by the knife blade which then slices downwardly through the billet in a circular arc to slice or split a picket from the billet. The action of the splitter 94 and slicing movement of the knife combine to effect shearing of a picket with minimum crushing of the billet or tearing of the wood fibers with the consequence the picket faces are substantially parallel and while having a desired irregular texture are not excessively splintered. As will be apparent by changing the diameter of the cams 20 and the position of the knife 12 in the head 16 the machine can accommodate billets of various thicknesses.

Preferably the feed stroke of the billet feeding is adjusted so that feeding of a billet commences immediately as the knife clears the top of the billet on its upward stroke and ceases just before the knife reenters the billet. This relatively lengthy feed stroke enables smooth feeding of the billet. With cedar billets 2%" thick and up to seven feet long it has been found that apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention can operate at up to about 250 cycles per minute.

Any suitable means may be used to catch and carry away the severed pickets 11. In the illustrated apparatus an inclined apron 98 is provided to guide the severed pickets onto an off bearing conveyor 100.

Having illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention permits of modification in arrangement and details. We claim as our invention all such modification as come within the true spirit and scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. An apparatus for splitting stakes from the edge of an elongate billet of wood having the grain extending lengthwise therein, said apparatus comprising:

a horizontal conveyor for advanoing said billet stepwise in predetermined increments, a knife means mounted over said conveyor means, means for reciprocating said knife toward and away from said conveyor in a path having vertical and horizontal components of motion;

said knife having a lower edge extending parallel to said conveyor;

said knife having a downwardly depending splitter element thereon adjacent'one end thereof adapted to engage an end of said billet before said lower edge of said knife engages the upwardly facing surface thereof.

2. An apparatus for splitting stakes from the edge of an elongate billet of wood having the grain extending lengthwise therein, said apparatus comprising:

a horizontal conveyor means for advancing said billet stepwise in predetermined increments,

a knife means mounted over said conveyor means,

means for effecting downward movement of said knife means so as to engage said billet and simultaneously effecting movement of said knife longitudinally of said billet;

said knife having a lower edge extending parallel to said conveyor;

the trailing edge of said knife with respect to the direction of horizontal movement of said knife in said descending path having a downwardly depending splitter element thereon adapted to engage an end of said billet before said lower edge of said knife engages the upwardly facing surface thereof.

3. An apparatus for splitting elongate stakes from the edge of a rectangular billet of wood having the grain extending lengthwise thereof, said apparatus comprising:

a horizontal conveyor means for advancing fiat billets of wood edgewise along a predetermined path;

a knife means;

means mounting said knife means over said conveyor for movement in a circular path moving in a vertical plane;

said knife having a horizontally extending lower edge adapted to engage said billet upon the downward movement of said knife; said knife having a downwardly depending splitting element adjacent an end thereof adapted to engage said billet before engagement by said knife so as to initiate splitting of a stake from the edge of said billet. 4. An apparatus for splitting elongate stakes from the edge of a rectangular billet of wood having the grain extending lengthwise thereof, said apparatus comprising: a conveyor means for advancing fiat billets of wood edgewise along a predetermined path with one end of said billet positioned along a predetermined line;

means for effecting incremental advancement of said billets;

a knife means;

a pair of eccentnically mounted circular cams mounting said knife means over said conveyor;

means for driving said cams in timed relation with respect to said conveyor means;

said knife having a horizontally extending lower edge adapted to engage said billet upon the downward movement of said knife;

said knife having a downwardly depending splitting element at one end thereof adapted to engage said one billet end upon said downward movement of said knife and prior to the engagement of said edge with said billet so as to initiate splitting of a stake from the edge of said billet.

ReferencesCited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,025,927 9/1912 Schmidt 83202 2,380,898 7/ 1-945 Pimentel 83628 2,614,589 10/1952 Coats et al. l44245.3 2,664,860 1/1954 Levetus 83624 FOREIGN PATENTS 518,835 3/1955 Italy.

ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Examiner. 

1. AN APPARATUS FOR SPLITTING STAKES FROM THE EDGE OF AN ELONGATE BILLET OF WOOD HAVING THE GRAIN EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THEREIN, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING: A HORIZONTAL CONVEYOR FOR ADVANCING SAID BILLET STEPWISE IN PREDETERMINED INCREMENTS, A KNIFE MEANS MOUNTED OVER SAID CONVEYORS MEANS, MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID KNIFE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID CONVEYOR IN A PATH HAVING VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL COMPONENTS OF MOTION; SAID KNIFE HAVING A LOWER EDGE EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID CONVEYOR; 